Watch Me Burn
by Lovely Little Loser
Summary: Imogen Moreno is not the kind of person who can ever do things right. She's not the kind of person who can be happy. And if she can't be happy, the best she can do is make other people happy, even if she ends up getting burned in the process.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Imogen Moreno is not the kind of person who can ever do things right. She's not the kind of person who can be happy. And if she can't be happy, the best she can do is make other people happy, even if she ends up getting burned in the process.**

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><p>The beginning of Eli's senior year was proving to be less than exciting. Not much had happened and he managed to simmer down a lot over the summer, forcing himself away from Clare and taking his meds. While he wasn't completely over her by any means, he was in a much better place emotionally speaking.<p>

He managed to keep in touch with Adam and paid him a few visits over the summer and had a decent acquaintanceship with Drew as well by default. Fiona was an entirely different story; she had gone on vacation with her mother and Declan somewhere in New York and had been out of touch since, except for an email or two every week filling him in on what was going on with her and her plans to hang out with him again once school started back up.

In fact there was only one person that he had kept in constant contact with and that was Imogen. She had gone to visit family either in Calgary or Vancouver, (he couldn't remember which, he just knew it was really far away from Toronto) but at some point over the summer it became an unwritten rule that they were to text each other early in the morning, call each other by lunch, and message on Facerange in the wee hours of the morning until they fell asleep. It got to the point where Eli's parents teased him about it, but he had little regard for that. He was happy that not only had he made things right with Imogen, but he managed to become good friends with her. Best friends even, if he dared to go that far.

The green eyed boy walked over to his locker and turned the lock to open it. It wasn't until he threw his books into his locker that he felt a pair of delicate arms wrap around his torso.

"Well, hello there Eli Goldsworthy," a chipper voice whispered from behind him. Eli turned around to see a familiar face and smiled at none other than Imogen Moreno. As usual her hair was in a crazy hairstyle with a few loose strands hanging in her face and she had her school uniform completely decked out in tons of funky accessories. She looked so much different in her blue polo as did he, though he was willing to bet that the summer away from her had something to do with that.

"Good morning to you too," he said with a smile as he embraced her in a proper hug. "Enjoyed the end of your summer vacation?"

"With my boring family? Don't be silly Eli, they bored me to tears! I was practically counting down the days until I'd see you again in person," she gave him a witty smile and Eli chuckled.

"It's actually great to see you in person. You look so… Different…" he stated. He eyed her up and down cautiously, noting all of her features. There was something about her that had changed. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but she just didn't seem like the same girl she was a few months ago.

"I'm hoping different is a compliment by your standards Eli," she said with a giggle.

"Of course! By all means! I just meant that you look good now. Not that I didn't think you looked good before… I just…um… Sorry," Eli stammered as his face reddened, much to Imogen's amusement. "Sometimes my meds take away my ability to form coherent sentences."

"It's okay. I think it's kind of cute actually," Imogen replied.

"Oh, uh… Well then… Hm. Do you now?" he teased.

"Oh Eli," Imogen pushed his arm playfully and the pair began to walk down the hallway together side by side.

"So I haven't seen you in any of my classes these past few days," Eli stated.

"Not to worry, I'm getting a program change today after school. They had the audacity to give me U.S. History instead of Government! How dare they make such a rookie mistake," she said as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Well if we do end up with any classes together, I'll be sure to save you a seat." Imogen smiled brightly at Eli, who did the same for her.

"I know for sure if I switch to government I'm gonna have gym first period, lunch sixth, and Pre-Calc eighth," Imogen said. Eli gave her his famous lopsided smirk.

"Great. We'll have lunch and Pre-Calc together," he said.

"I think I like this year already," Imogen said happily. The two continued to wander down the hallway, killing time until the bell rang when a girl in a blue polo and short khaki skirt strutted towards them.

"Hey girl!" Bianca shouted as she ran up to Imogen with a smile on her face. She looked a lot happier than Eli ever remembered seeing her and even a bit girlier too. Bianca quickly nodded in Eli's direction and he smiled sheepishly, seemingly annoyed by Bianca's untimely entrance. Imogen gave Bianca a giant hug and smiled warmly at her friend before turning back to Eli.

"You know Bianca, right Eli?" Imogen asked.

"We've met," he replied curtly.

"Did I interrupt something…?" Bianca asked. Imogen and Eli looked at each other silently not sure of what to say before Bianca decided to take the hint. "Okay… So I'm gonna go and I'll see you at lunch okay Imogen? I have the craziest stories to tell you!"

"Great!" Imogen squealed as she waved her friend goodbye.

"I guess you don't have time for me during lunch, seeing as you're in such high demand this year," Eli joked.

"Hey! Hush your mouth right now Eli! I'll always be able to make time for you. In fact, you should sit with me and Bianca during lunch," Imogen decided.

"I don't think Bianca and I are exactly compatible…" Eli cringed at the thought of spending his lunch period with her, but Imogen was still persistent.

"It'd mean a lot to me if you sat with me and Bianca," she chimed, flashing him an award winning smile. That's what was different about her. Somewhere between all the texts, emails, and videochats, she managed to wrap him around her little finger. Now whether he was okay with that or not had yet to be determined, but it seemed almost cruel to say no to her.

"Sure Imogen," Eli said. He was sure he'd regret it later, but her girlish squeal combined with the giant bear hug she gave him would have to compensate for it.

…

"Hey," Imogen said as she slid gracefully into a seat next to Eli in the cafeteria. "And how have you been on this fine September day?"

"Not too bad," he said with his famous smirk. Imogen beamed at him as she played with a loose strand of hair with her fingers.

"So anything interesting happen? Just because summer's over doesn't mean you don't have to fill me in on every little detail," she rested her chin in her hands and stared at him with bright brown eyes. Okay, he had to admit, she looked absolutely darling like that. Remembering that she had just asked him a question, Eli snapped out of his trance and continued.

"Okay, so in homeroom—" Eli stopped talking when he noticed a familiar girl walking towards his table before taking a seat in front of him. Great. Bianca remembered.

"Hey Imogen. Eli," she greeted as she dumped her tray on the table.

"Hey Bianca," Imogen said. "Eli was just telling me how his day was."

"Really? Well don't stop on my account. Keep on it Doctor Doom," Bianca encouraged. Eli seemed reluctant, but seeing as Imogen didn't seem phased he continued.

"Well this year I wrote the school play and Imogen helped me out, so this girl in my homeroom comes up to me and says "Hey, you're the kid who wrote the school play about Vegas Night right?" So I'm like, yeah that was me. Then she pauses for like five minutes and then she's like "So, was it based on a true story?" Imogen immediately burst into a fit of giggles and Eli joined in though Bianca didn't do much more than smile weakly.

"Bianca, what's wrong?" Imogen asked.

"Nothing it's just… Nevermind," Bianca immediately began to pick at the food on her tray and Imogen pouted before she whipped her head around to see Katie giving Drew a light peck on the lips. Assuming that to be the reason for Bianca's sour mood, Imogen decided not mention it, though she still noticed that Bianca looked a bit pale.

"You look a little sick Bianca. Perhaps a cold?" Imogen suggested.

"Sort of. I felt sick all day so I haven't eaten, but I feel like I'm about to puke," she replied.

"Yikes," Imogen muttered.

"Let me walk you to the nurse," Eli offered. Bianca was about to refuse him, but instead she nodded, and stood up.

"Yeah, let's go."

…

"So, he's a real keeper isn't he? Being all heroic and helping you out? And I didn't even ask him to, he did it on his own!" Imogen said as she swooned. Bianca huffed quietly. She appreciated the fact that Eli had accompanied her to the nurse's office and she already thanked him, but she didn't need to hear a whole speech about it.

"Yeah. Really great," Bianca muttered though she seemed distracted by something. Imogen turned her head and noticed the only person Bianca could have been looking at was Drew.

"Are you staring at Drew Torres again?" Imogen asked. Bianca immediately whipped her head around and shrugged her shoulders carelessly while Imogen continued watching Drew long enough to see that he was talking and laughing with a girl. And after a few more hard stares, Imogen realized that the girl was his girlfriend, Katie Matlin.

"I never was fond of Katie. She's just one of Marisol's lackies, she really has no substance to her, don't you think?" Imogen said. Bianca growled as she rolled her eyes. Imogen could be such a child, always asking questions.

"It's only a matter of time before he dumps Katie on her ass anyway. I know what he's like; he dates a good girl and realizes he's not good enough for her so he screws it up, then he gets a girl more his speed and he can't handle her. Whatever, it's not like I even care anyway," Bianca replied.

"Are you kidding me? That's your Drew, even though everyone knows what you two had. I know Katie knows that his heart really belongs to you. That bitch really doesn't know what off-limits means, does she?"

"Imogen just drop it," Bianca insisted.

"You can't let Katie of all people take him from you. She thinks she's so perfect, when really she's just going to manipulate him and use him, and leave him a broken mess. And when you're the only one who can put the pieces back together, the damage will already be done. She'll get what she wants, and it doesn't matter how many people she has to hurt to get it," Imogen stated. "It's only a matter of time until he forgets that he still loves you."

"Seriously Imogen, stop talking. He forgot how he felt about me when he broke up with me," Bianca said angrily. "He's allowed to move on."

"And what about you? You deserve to be happy too," Imogen replied.

"People like me aren't supposed to end up happy. You take what you get, whether it satisfies you or not. Look, I'm happy for you and that Eli kid, but don't get involved with my drama. Last time that happened I lost the person I cared the most about," Bianca said. Imogen merely nodded her head though she still had her doubts about what was going on. She didn't dare ask another question. She had gone too far already, pushed too many of Bianca's buttons. Imogen knew in the back of her mind she'd pay for what she just did.

…

"Eli!" Imogen squealed as she skipped over to the green eyed boy.

"Hey," he said. Before he could say anything else, Imogen began to talk again.

"I need you to do me a huge favor," Imogen said.

"Sure," Eli said. He had his suspicions, but allowed her to continue.

"You did such an amazing job writing our last school play and I need you to write something like that for me. Not a play if that's not what comes out, but a piece of realistic fiction."

"Do you have a specific idea in mind?" he asked. Imogen began pacing back and forth in front of Eli with a starry look her eyes and he could practically see the wheels turning in her head.

"As a matter of fact… Picture this. A girl, about our age falls hard for this guy. At first he's reluctant to give her a chance because of her reputation but eventually he warms up to her. They fall madly in love but then, drama begins to surround the girl. She's being pulled in, eaten alive by her own secrets and misery and the boy leaves her for a narcissistic wench with a pretty face. Now our heroine's heartbroken and desperate to win him back, but she won't show it to help her pride, and tragically, the boy loves her back. Now the boy begins to realize his new girlfriend is nothing but a witch. An evil, wretched excuse for a human being. But he's already put everything on the line for the love of his life once and he's scared—"

"Imogen, this is starting to sound awfully familiar…" Eli said.

"Does it?" she asked with an innocent look. "What does it remind you of? A TV show perhaps?"

"The names, Drew, Bianca, and Katie come to mind," Eli said with a knowing look.

"Fine, you caught me. I grab inspiration from my drab life. But it needs to be written. Someone needs to tell Drew that Bianca wants him back, and if she won't do it—"

"Then we stay out of it," Eli finished. "This is between Bianca and Drew." Imogen huffed loudly. With a small chuckle Eli tucked a lock of Imogen's hair behind her ear and smiled. He had to admit, it was refreshing to see someone looking out for someone else like that.

"Gosh! What kind of friend are you?" Imogen demanded in a playful tone. She pouted and put her hands on her hips, but couldn't stop herself to bursting into laughter when Eli replied.

"The smart one who knows things go bad when we write together," He replied.

"Touche. It would still mean the world to me if you did it though…"

"Fine I'll do it," he said. Imogen bounced up and down as she clapped her hands together but Eli stopped her. "But only you can see my writing. This does not get published."

"Thank you, thank you Eli! You are the absolute best!" He knew he would regret giving into her so easily, but soon lost his train of thought when Imogen gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before skipping away.

Oh, he could get used to that.

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><p><strong>Send me reviews please! :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>"Eli… This… This is fabulous!" Imogen whispered as their math teacher cast a wicked glance in their direction, causing both teens to look away from each other and back at the board. When he began explaining another theorem, Eli turned back to Imogen and smiled.<p>

"Thanks. It's not my best work but…"

"Don't be modest," Imogen insisted. "The ending is especially tragic for Katherine; committing suicide upon Drake leaving her for Brianna? Eli, you are a true visionary when it comes to the literary arts."

"It's easy to write when you have a muse," he admitted. Imogen blushed and looked down.

"Happy to assist you Eli," she said with a coy smile. The bell rang and all the students in their math class began packing up their things. Imogen bounced out of her seat and was about to dart out of the room when Eli called her name.

"I only sent you a part of what I've written so far… I was wondering if you'd want to act it out for me? Or with me, I mean. Maybe I'll get some more inspiration and I'll be able to write more," Eli suggested.

"I'd love to!" Imogen said. "I'm sure the stage isn't occupied at the moment. Let's go!" Without letting Eli say another word she grabbed his hand and ran with him until they reached the auditorium. Just like she had guessed, the stage was empty but the lights were on. After making sure they were alone, Imogen motioned for Eli to grab a seat from backstage before she herself disappeared behind a curtain.

"What are you doing?" Eli called.

"Getting into character!" Imogen replied. Eli shrugged and placed the chair he had gotten center stage and waited. In a few moments she returned to him with her hair free from the bun she previously had atop her head, her glasses nowhere to be found. As much as Eli tried not to stare, he couldn't help but notice that Imogen's skirt was rolled up a bit to show off her slender legs and her blue polo was tied in the back for a tighter fit.

"Imogen… what are you-"

"Imogen?" she replied back incredously. "I'm Brianna. Jeez Drake, did they hit you in the head too hard at practice or what?" Eli immediately picked up on what Imogen was doing and followed her lead, playing the role of Drake with ease.

"Brianna, what do you want?" Eli asked. Imogen strode towards him with a flirty smirk on her lips. Her hips swayed with every step she took. Not a single movement went to waste. Whatever she didn't say with words was easily seen through her body language.

"All I want is you. I know you're kind of dense, but I thought it'd be pretty obvious by now," Imogen replied.

"You know, if you're going to flirt with me, it'd help if you weren't also insulting me," Eli informed her with a scowl.

"Um, conceited much? Who says I'm trying to flirt?" Imogen asked.

"Oh I'm sorry. I forget, you prefer to throw yourselves at guys like a piece of meat," Eli said.

"If the shoe fits," Imogen said with a shrug.

"You're insane," Eli declared.

"That's how you like it right? You like your girls interesting," Imogen licked her lips as her gaze briefly dropped to the hem of Eli's khaki pants before regaing eye contact. "We could do some_ really_ interesting things together."

"I have a girlfriend you know," Eli said.

"Oh, right, Alyssa? The one who jumped into bed with her first boyfriend as soon as she got the chance but refuses to go farther than a make out with you?" Imogen asked in an icy tone.

"I don't have to stand here and explain my relationship with you," Eli said. He turned to walk away but Imogen caught onto him before he could get far.

"So what, you're gonna go cry to your little girlfriend? You're so whipped, it's actually hilarious," Imogen said, adding a laugh at the end of her sentence to rub salt into the wound she just cut. Eli had to admit, she was eerily good at capturing other people's essences. Had he not known better, he would have thought he was talking to Bianca herself.

"I'd rather be whipped then be with you," Eli replied curtly. Imogen stepped back and sucked in her breath before she composed herself.

"You almost hurt my feeling for a second. Then I remembered that I don't care. You're not that great you know," Imogen said. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him hard.

"Then why are you still here talking to me?" Eli asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Imogen retorted. There was a puase as they stared at each other, waiting for the other to break the long silence.

"Alright. you got me Brianna. Maybe I like you a little. But I'm with Alyssa and she means a lot to mean. So what now?" Eli demanded. Imogen bit her lip in an attempt to hold back the devilish grin on her face but to no avail. Eli was certain that had to be the most attractive thing she'd ever done around him when she placed her hands on her chest and began to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Now the real fun begins, lover boy," she was only a few inches away from his face when suddenly the sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to jump back.

"Sorry to interrupt," Fiona said. "I was looking for Eli and then I stumbled into here."

"Oh, Eli and I were rehearsing a little something that he threw together," Imogen explained. "You know how he is."

"Yeah. Sure do," Fiona said with a smirk. "I could always leave and talk to Eli later-"

"No, don't be ridiculous!" Imogen said. "Besides, I should probably stop hogging Eli anyway." Imogen walked backstage and grabbed her things quickly. As she was about to leave, Eli gave Fiona a look and ran after Imogen.

"Imogen, wait!" he said as he ran up to her. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh? What is it?" she cocked her head to the side.

"Well, my parents know that I spent a lot of time talking to you over the summer and they've been dying to meet you," Eli said. "By any chance, would you want to come over to have dinner at my place?" Imogen's eyes lit up like Christmas lights and she immediately nodded her head rapidly up and down.

"Would I? I'd love to!" she paused for a moment before she looked deep in thought and continued talking. "I'm gonna go home to find something better to wear, but I'll see you tonight, say 6-ish?"

"Great," Eli smiled, letting his hand brush against hers softly before walking away.

…

Imogen felt herself smile widely as Eli's father made a joke that caused her, Cece and Eli to erupt into laughter. She had been convinced that the evening would be awkward, as she somehow had that effect on situations, but it was better than she had ever expected. Bullfrog and Cece were very open and understanding people, and Eli seemed to be in a great mood. The green eyed boy wasn't too dressed up; he had on a stripped button up shirt and black jeans while his parents were as casual as ever. Wanting to make a good impression while still looking like her quirky self, Imogen decided to dress a bit girlier than usual. She wore a short white boho dress with flowing three-quarter sleeves, red wedge booties, and a pair of black thigh high socks. Instead of her usual circle necklace, she wore a long owl pendant around her neck, shiny, red bracelets, and a thick red belt around her waist to extenuate the fiery color of her shoes. She'd been too lazy to style her hair so she left it down, something she rarely ever did except for when she was spending the day at home. She noticed out of the corner of her eyes that Eli kept glancing at her and she purposely ignored him. It made her feel powerful.

"Imogen darling, it's been great having you over, but it's getting late. What time to you have to be home?" Cece asked. Imogen noticed that steet lamps were starting to come on. She sighed in her head, realizing that she had better get going if she didn't want to get yelled at by her parents.

"I should probably get going now," she admitted. "But thank you for having me over."

"Our pleasure Imogen," Bullfrog stated as he and his wife started cleaning up the dishes from dinner. Imogen walked to the door and Eli followed her, closing it behind them. The sky was still a navy blue color and the air still held a bit of summer in it. It wasn't cold yet and it was still rather warm despite the fact that autumn was rapidly approaching. Eli walked up to the brown eyed girl and rested a soft hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"So how was your evening?" he asked.

"It was so much fun! Your parents are so adorable!" Imogen said with a slight squeal.

"I don't know about that, but they were on their better behavior tonight," Eli stated. Imogen smiled genuinely at him. Eli was slowly being consumed by the darkness and becoming a mere silhouette though she still knew his facial features enough to make them out even in the dark.

"Thank you for tonight. It was wonderful," she gushed.

"Thanks for coming over," he replied. Imogen sighed as she fought hard to swallow the lump in her throat. Eli looked at her concerned and without any prodding, Imogen began to speaking.

"I don't think I can do this again," Imogen said as her voice cracked. Eli frowned at the small girl in front of him who refused to look at anything but the front footsteps of his house.

"I thought you had fun," he said.

"I did, it's just…" she lost her train of thought as Eli stepped towards her and placed a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look him in the eyes. The moonlight reflected perfectly in his green orbs and she stopped breathing for a second before she turned her head away. "Eli, I still like you okay? And I know that you don't like me back and I was fine with that… Or so I thought… But after everything that's happened, I don't want to go through that again. I can't—"

"Imogen!" Eli shouted interrupting her thoughts. He stepped towards her and grabbed her in a hug, wrapping his strong arms around her delicate frame. "Look at me," he demanded. Imogen pulled back slightly and looked up at him, into his deep green eyes and looked down shyly.

"What?" she whispered.

"You talk an awful lot." And with that he leaned down, cupped her fragile face, and kissed her.

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><p><strong>Send me reviews please! :)<strong>


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